Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

21st Century Church Leadership And Pastor Preparation, Veronica Abney

Scholar Week 2016 - present

This study examined 21st-century American churches and the pastors who lead them to determine whether those pastors who attended seminaries, traditional universities, or denominational institutions were more academically prepared to grow church membership, increase weekly attendance, retain members, manage high-impact leadership teams, and engage in local church formation than were pastors who did not attend or complete any academic institution. The researcher examined the academic completion levels, leadership and church growth characteristics, and professional training of the participating pastors from six broadly defined categories: (a) pastors who participated in the 2014-2015 Outreach/LifeWay magazine survey; (b) pastors who participated in …